sheep in the city

R.I.P. Crusoe

Isn't this a pretty sock...well, I've started it twice...and I'm not sure that I can stomach trying it again. Here's what it looked like about 3 minutes after that first picture was taken...Crusoe...R.I.P. Any suggestions on what pair of socks I should make if I decide not to make the Crusoe socks. Seriously, this sucks.

How did that get on my needle?

Ok, ok...before anyone says anything I have a very good reason for "swatching" this project...I needed to see if I liked this yarn before I went on my trip and was forced to buy something new, or not knit the California Clapotis in California and where's the fun in that? Now remember, it's just a swatch, ok?!I really don't know how my #8 Boye interchangeable needles got off the project that they were on and screwed onto a new cable, it's a mystery...seriously. I must be sleep knitting, because I was working on Ginger, innocently watching ER (**sidenote** awww, I heart Dr. Gallant and Neela, last nights episode was so great! I can't wait for the next one...except that there weren't any previews so that usually means it might be a while, dang!) and then the next thing I knew I looked down and there was a Clapotis "swatch". Goodness, that's weird, huh?

I'm going to go over to my mom's this weekend and help her figure out what she is going to knit her Clapotis out of. (this should be fun. You should see her stash, if you think mine's big...she's got me beat. And remember that this is where I get any organizational skills that I posess from) She has just completely reorganized and set up a "craft room" in my old room in the basement. It's awesome! I just might have to have a special day here at Sheep in the City dedicated to my mom's cool new room soon. I have to get the ok form her though. Anyway, I digress. I'm not planning on knitting ANY more of my Clapotis until the trip...because I love the yarn! It is great to work with, a little bit fuzzy because of the mohair (it's Interlacements Texas, 45% mohair/55% wool, color #206) and the colors are just luscious, take a closer look. Aren't those colors yummy?! So...enough about this project that everyone and their mother (true in my case) are knitting, here are some new Jesse pictures. He was "helping" me wind down some yarn for my brother-in-law, who is knitting a gorgeous aran, of his own design, for his dad. Awww! He's knitting it with Black Water Abbey yarn, in the color Bluestack. So, on to the Jesse pictures. I took a ton of pictures because it was so funny to me, so here's a couple:

He's just watching, innocent enough, right?

Wrong! This was moments before he pounced on the ball winder, scared himself and ran into the other room. Silly cat! This is totally what he does though. He likes to get right up in whatever I'm doing whether it's knitting, or painting (which is always an interesting challenge), or just reading. He is the biggest lap cat who thinks he's a dog that I've ever met. But he's the greatest! Everyone who meets him, even if they hate cats, loves Jesse. They can't resist his charms;-)

Weekend plans: Lots of knitting! I need to finish the first Crusoe sock and cast on the second. I have to work on my Fry-up so that I'll actually have my own progress pics for Tuesday! Ginger, check! And then on Sunday it's the big Oscar party at Cathi's house! Whoo hoo! It promises to be very fun, I mean come on, you can't go wrong with celebrities, Chris Rock hosting, high fashion, knitting, food and "beverages", and a bunch of friends hanging out! I've heard rumors that someone will even get to take a statue home that night if they guess the most winners! I'll have lots-o-pictures come Monday!! Until then, have a great weekend! I'm going to go bury myself under the pile that is my works-in-progress/current knitting projects!

Hi, my name is Stacey, and I'm a spoiled girl!

Last night my mom called and said that she and my dad wanted to take my sister and I to dinner. So we met at Qdoba, a local giant burrito place, and sitting in my chair was this bag:

Blanche has a new home, and isn't it pretty! It's a computer bag from Timbuk2! I just checked their website though, and I don't see the pink anymore! (i'm thinking he got it at the Apple store here in Denver) I have the greatest Dad ever, he just wanted to give me a little something, and he saw this and knew that I would like it. Umm, yeah, I love it! Thanks Dad! Let me explain why there is a giant Baldwin face on my TV screen...ha! My roommate and I have been watching Celebrity Fit Club and it's highly entertaining. I mean what's not funny about the Snapple lady, Biz Markie, Daniel Baldwin (always known to me as the "fat" Baldwin), Mia Tyler, and others all competing for who can lose wait and win challenges?! It is entertaining for sure!

As far as knitting content...well, I have been knitting away on Ginger (little pink summer tweed tank) that I had to rip out the majority of a few weeks ago. The plan is to have it done by the time I go to California, so that RayLynn can wear it! Gotta keep knitting! My Crusoe socks are coming along, and just this morning I got a few helpful hints from Julia because she was knitting (yes, I used the word was) these socks for her sockapalooza pal too. She has since started on a different pair for her pal and she's going to keep these for herself! Here are some of her tips that she sent me in an email:

"I used a larger needle than recommended and got a much smaller gauge - weird, huh? I stuck with it because I like the fabric at the smaller gauge and I knew I wanted the socks to fit tightly initially. My only caution would be to shoot for snug, but to be careful, because if they are too snug they won't go on. One last trick, ala Priscilla Gibson-Roberts: Your fist balled up is the same size as your foot circumference. If you make a fist and it fits snugly in the top of your sock, it should fit your foot (this is my own logic and it worked for my crusoe). If your sock pal has a different sock size than you just hunt around for a friend with a similar size. This should help you figure out if the sock is working prior to starting the heel."
Thanks a ton Julia!! This has really helped! So no knitting pictures today...because who wants to see a few more inches of the same old project, really??!!

Fry-Update

As I was looking through blogs this weekend I noticed one thing...everyone is cookin' right along on their Fry-Up! I need to get my stuff together and work on mine, bad knitalong leader! So I barely touched mine again this week, and there really aren't any worthy pictures. I have been knitting on my Sockapalooza socks, and they win out since there is a deadline! But I did find this...a waitress who has flipped a pancake onto her head! Anyone brave enough to knit a pancake hat?! (sorry for the crappy copy...I'm going to try to find a scanner that I can use and redo it, but I didn't want to hold the post just for that!)

So here's what's happening in your neck of the woods:

Megan has her beret done...and I don't have the words to describe the photo of her husband wearing his new hat...what a guy! I love that she made this for her husband and that he will actually wear it!
Lori's almost finished her purse.Scroll down to her February 16th entry to see it!!
Ann has left the country, hopefully she didn't leave just to get away from her Fry-Up. Last wednesday she didn't know if she would ever get it done. I think it looks great, but you know when you get to a certain point in a project and you totally lose interest and motivation? She had reached that point. But, what she's done so far looks great! Keep going Ann, you're almost there!!
Ali has her beret all put together, but she thinks it needs a little something extra. Go over and let her know if she needs a pancake (she could definitely pull off the pancake), some SPAM, or maybe something she hasn't even thought of yet!
Sarah has finished the base of her purse after a little bit of ripping and some encouragement from you guys! Way to go Sarah!
Nyxxie has a great new look over at her blog, go check it out...and scroll down to the February 18th to see her fried egg progress.
Mozemen has her's put together, but she's waiting until she gets back from her trip to unveil it, right now it's looking a little bit inside out. That's it! If you don't see your update here, send me an email!!

And, just what I alway's needed to do...join another knitalong! But, this is different...my mom, and RayLynn and I are all going to knit a Clapotis while we are vacationing in L.A.! Fun, huh?! Here's the yarn that I've had in my stash for over a year and haven't known what to do with it! It's Interlacements Texas...and I don't have the band with me to tell you the specific stats on the yarn right now, so a picture will have to do! I have three skeins, and I'm thinking that it will only take 1 and a little bit...because these skeins are HUGE!! We'll see!! As I see these being knit up all over blogland, I really want to start mine! But I'm going to wait for the trip...and get my Fry-Up and Sockapalooza socks done first!! You heard it here...hold me to it!

Oops, the day is over...

...and I didn't even update about any of the Fry-Up participants! This day just got away from me! Soooo, I will make Wednesday my knitalong day this week! Stay tuned tomorrow for lots of exciting news on how things are cookin'!

I have had a few people ask me what I ever decided about naming my computer...well, after much thought and careful consideration, may I present you with...Blanche and her trusty sidekick Pinky!

Thanks to Chris of Skittermagoo! for coming up with a name that just won't get out of my head! Thanks to everyone for playing...I loved Chiclet, Chou Chou, Frenchy, and all the other great suggestions but Blanche won out in the end. I'll be sending something your way soon Chris!! And what is that in the picture with Blanche and Pinky? Is that my Crusoe sock? Why yes it is! It's coming along slowly...but surely!

Hurry, hurry!

Ok...FYI...if you live anywhere near a Michael's craft store and still have your Sunday paper, find the Michael's coupons. There is a 50% off of one item coupon in it and it was only good yesterday and today! I bought a set of the Boye interchangeable needles with my coupon, for only $36.00! There are 13 different needles, sizes 2-15 and 4 different cable lengths, a 16", 24", 29", and a 36". This sounded like a great deal to me! I love my addi-turbo's, but they just keep getting more and more expensive! I'll let you know how I like using them, but for now I love their shiny bright colors!! So, hurry on out to Michael's!!

She likes me, she really likes me!

This last week has been a really long one, so imagine my surprise when I get home after running errands on Saturday to find a key in my mailbox! You all know what that means...yippee! A package...and it's from my new Secret Pal! Let me just start by saying, you done good, you done real good! By just answering a few questions, it's like she knows exactly what I like, it's crazy! Here it is, my first gift:

There were 2 skeins of hand-painted yarn that she picked up while at Stitches West from Royale Hare yarns. A hot pink bumpy yarn called Wobbly Wool in "fruit punch" and a light pink mohair in "cotton candy". Sounds yummy, huh?! There were Valentine Runts and Gobstoppers, a fun candle from Illuminations in my favorite scent, Grapefruit. There was even one of my all-time favorite candies in the bag, Grapefruit Gummies! How did you know that I loved those so much? Seriously, I devoured them, and now I'm sad because they are all gone! Here's a peek at the stationary that she wrote to me on, isn't it cute?! Again, how did you know that I have a random collection of Asian stationary with these too-cute little characters on them? Ever since I was in elementary school and I discovered Hello Kitty, My Twin Stars, and My Melody. I haven't seen this one before. I have one that I'm saving for someone special that's called "Burnt Bun". The little character is a Bun who's head is slightly burnt. It cracks me up. There was also a felted toy for Jesse...he of course has to immediately had to sniff it...he loves it already!

Isn't this the coolest thing? It looks like a giant pink hairball, but it is like a work of art. There are so many colors on it. I almost didn't want to give it to him, but he wouldn't have it. It has a jingle bell inside of it, and he has already claimed it and batted it all over the house. It makes for good cat exercise!

Last but not least, there were colored plastic bags. Why do I need them...to make a bag of course! I told her that I was going to be collecting them, and she obliged! Thank you secret pal of mine, you're the best!!

Who's got the button?

I do, I do! This was a really fun easy project that my friend RayLynn and I knit up in no time! We are going to bring them with us when we go to L.A. in less than a month!! I can't wait! She knit the pink and orange one, and I knit the green and pink striped bag. I know, I usually am a pink and orange girl, but I wanted to break out and do something different...and I thought we'd look like total dorks with matching bags;-)

Thanks to Kay over at Mason-Dixon Knitting, one of my all time favorite blogs, for the pattern. Scroll down to the January 24th entry and you'll find the pattern! I'm going to felt these bags as soon as RayLynn gets back into town next weekend, so be watching for final buttonhole bag pictures then!

Quick hello...

This is going to be quick and photoless...sorry! You have to go check out what Cathi has done now! She is funny and fearless that one! I love her clapotis!

Everybody's doing it...

So I have been biten by the design bug too, I guess. I went to a meeting yesterday all about COBRA, (can you feel the excitment) and to help me concentrate I started doodling. This is something that I do in meetings, always have, probably always will. So why now? Well...I am surrounded by some of the most creative girls at the Littleton Meet-Up. I totally blame Libby, she's the one who started this whole thing. She has been published twice in Knitty (yes I am a name dropper), and now we all want to be cool and published too!Ok, I can only speak for myself, but Cathi and Brynne have both cast on and started super-secret projects this week. Go check them out! They already have little swatches knit up...these girls don't mess around! I love the big blank sketch books that I always used in my art classes when I was in school, now I'm on a mission to get another one for my design ideas. What perfect timing that tonight is the first meeting of the newly started Littleton Stitch 'n Bitch and we are meeting at Tattered Cover bookstore that just opened up in Highlands Ranch. I love this bookstore...if you ever visit Colorado, you need to visit the original Cherry Creek store, it's 3 stories and has a really good restaurant on the 4th floor called '4th Story'. So I had wanted to have some kind of picture to show you today, but I'm struggling in the creative picture department...so all you get is a progress picture of my first sockapalooza sock. I'm knitting the Crusoe sock from Knitty.
Have I mentioned how much I like knitting with my Pony Pearl double points!! I love them! And they match my knitting project, not that that's why I bought them;-) I'll discuss more later, it's time to get to work! And maybe by later today, I'll have decided what to name my new iBook...so it's not too late to send me your suggestions!!

Tuesday is Knitalong Day!

Fix-A-Thon: Well, I figured that I would probably be fixing some of my projects that had fallen by the wayside/I had lost interest in.What I didn't count on was fixing/ripping out projects that I am currently working on! Here is my Sockapalooza sock after I ripped it out on Saturday afternoon:

So I have knit back to where I was, and I went up a needle size so my guage is right on now. It was relatively painless to rip out...kind of. I still hate to start things over, even though in the end my project is usually better because of it. I still plan to rip my Salt Peanuts (which I have totally lost my place on, and I had only knit about 6-8 inches on) and Klaralund. Maybe this weekend I'll pull out the ball winder and rip those babies out!

Fry-Up News: I personally have done next to nothing on this project this week, due to being sick a couple days and too busy the rest of the time. Excuses, excuses, I know. But I knit a little on the bacon and ending up ripping it out because I didn't like the color combination that I had. It just didn't look like any kind of bacon that I would eat. It has been fun reading about the progress that some of you have made though. Lori's bag looks awesome! She has turned what could have been a knitting crisis into a design feature. Go checkout her bull's eye bag, right now! Ann has been battling it out this past week to the point of dreaming about her fry-up. Cat and Ali have both finished knitting their berets, they look so sassy I just might change my mind about knitting a beret. For now I'm stickin' with the purse. Ari has started onher fry-up using Tahki Cotton Classic and Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece. I love working with Cotton Classic, it's one of my all time favorite yarns. (this is a yarn that I have been stashing/hoarding away for a while now. I plan to one day make one of these !) Megan is almostdone with her fry-up. She just needs to attach her breakfast to her beret. (do I need to remind you that this hat is for her husband to wear?! I can't wait to see the pictures!

So if you want to see what I have really been doing this past week, check out the funny pictures...it's a Yarmulke, no wait, it's a
boob!. It's so versatile. Everyone needs one! Who knew how funny a knitted fried egg could be?!

Lookie what I got!

I've been thinking about getting a new computer for a while now. I've had my green iBook for about 4 1/2 years, and little things keep happening, like the sound goes in and out, the battery is pretty much shot, etc. Little things that aren't that big of a deal, but when added up, are frustrating. (not to mention that Apple keeps coming out with really sweet computers and that has been highly tempting in and of itself) Sooooo, here's the new iBook...

I've just barely begun to play with it, and I was busy and sick most of the weekend. My brother-in-law is going to help me tonight with transfering all the files off my old computer to the new one!!! Yippee! I love my new iBook, now I just need to come up with a fun name, my green one was named Kermit 2.0 because, 1)it was green, the obvious answer and 2)it was the second green computer that I owned. I had one of the original light green iMacs, man I loved that computer! So let me know your thoughts on what I should name this one, and if I choose you I'll send ya a little something in the mail!

Sew-Up!

Here's the partial group picture: Anne, me and Alice, Tamara, Brynne and John,Libby's mom , and Libby.

We had "sew" much fun on Saturday! What a great show of support from the Denver knitters! I had no idea who was going to show up, I had a few people RSVP. So I was so glad when Nancy, who I'd never met before, but reads my blog, came over right on the dot, 10am sharp. She only went to one wrong house saying that she was, "here for the afghan thing" before she showed up on my doorstop saying that she recognized my face from my blog!! She had to wait while my mom and I scurried around getting the last minute details together...and putting the finishing touches on some little party favors. (that of course I decided to put together at 6:30 the night before)

A friend of mine, Jan, came by about 10:30, and boy am I glad she did! She was a sewing fiend...I had sewn up maybe a square and a half and she was done with the a whole row. Brynne showed up with her precious son John next. He was quite the helper...I have the utmost respect for moms who can knit and take care of babies at the same time. She was amazing, and what a sweet baby. People just kept stopping by, dropping in and out.

Brynne managing to concentrate, despite the fact that John was rolling around at her feet!

Here's Anne jumping right into it with her eye for detail. Tam came with her and had many good ideas about the crochet border.

The afghan was seamed together pretty quickly, by about 1:30 we had it all seamed up and were ready for lunch. Sewing up is hard work, builds up an appetite! We made short order of the 3 pizzas I had ordered. Then it was back to sewing and chatting!

I wish that I could say that Libby's mom came all the way fromt Utah just for the sew-up...but I guess she came to see her grandkids. Thanks for bringing her Libby! Do these mother/daughter look like each other, or what?! So cute.

My mom, who always supports whatever I do, and is my best friend...joined in the sewing. She was such a help to me, thanks mom! Anne and Tam worked on the border while we all watched a movie...and the last few people were gone by about 6:30! I don't know why I had imagined being up until the wee hours working on this afghan, but everyone did there part and we got it done!! Thank you girls, thank you Ann and Kay for collecting the squares and letting us be a part, thank you to afghans for Afghans for organizing such a wonderful charity! What a great day, and a great feeling, knowing that we got to be a part of something!

read on if you want more pictures...

Here's Jan sewing away...she left before we took the group picture. Thank you, thank you for all your help Jan!!

Of course Jesse had to help out when we laid out all the squares on the floor. My mom kept moving him, and back he'd come. At one point, he was laying under the table and I looked over and just one paw was on the blanket. He will be sad to see it go!

My dad did a drive-by, he stopped and let me take a picture of him before he whisked my mom away. Yep...that's my Pops, he's the greatest!

It's Friday!

...and tomorrow is the Denver Afghan Sew-Up!! I'm really excited! I think that there will be a good turn out, but if you are interested in coming and live in the Denver area...email me! It's not too late to join us, even for a little bit. Drop in anytime after 10:00am!! I'll be sure to take lots-o-pictures so that everyone can be a part!

So I was sick yesterday and I didn't go to work...not really sick, just annoyingly tired and I kept sneezing and my head was all congested. So I decided to take a sick day, since I have them, why not take them?! I never take sick days. My plan was to rest and get some knitting done. How much knitting did I get done? Not much, I guess my body needed the rest, but I hate taking naps in the middle of the day! Here's a peek at my Crusoe sockapalooza sock. I plan on ripping it tonight since I have 7.5 stitches to the inch instead of the 6 it calls for. That's ok though since I am really enjoying this pattern and it knits up pretty quick!

I have also been to two knit groups in the last week and I keep meaning to post some pictures of some inspiring knits that other knitbloggers have been working on. I love knitting with these girls because:
1) they are super fun
2) they are all excellant knitters
3) did I mention the fun?!

Anne has been crocheting plastic bags...and it looks so neat! I have been wanting to make the knitted version from Simple Knits with a Twist...and this may inspire me to do that sooner than later.

Cathi has been knitting her Clapotis with Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock...and it is absolutely fabulous! We made her pose with it on while she was knitting it. What a good sport. We did a lot of silly posing that night...who knew how funny a knitted fried egg could be?! Check out the funny pictures...it's a Yarmulke, no wait, it's a
boob!. It's so versatile. Everyone needs one!

This is what happens on a regular basis at our knit groups...we get silly! I have been knitting on the buttonhole bag and my fry-up as well. The fry-up food is coming along, I am probably going to change up the bacon pattern, because when I follow the instructions it's wicked huge. Not that I wouldn't want to eat a piece of bacon that big...mmm...bacon. But it's just too big for the purse as it is. We'll see what I end up doing. I'll be sure to post any changes I make on Tuesday.

*just a quick TV excitement...Is anyone else excited that Rob and "Ambuh" are going to be on the next Amazing Race?! I love it! Alias was great this week but at the same time, it creeped me out because I was watching it by myself late at night, yes, I had to turn all the lights on. Gilmore Girls was great, Emily is being a mega-bitch and I'm lovin' the Logan/Rory storyline...awww, did you see the previews for next week? Can't wait. ER, what can I say, I need to find myself a Dr. Kovach. (or a Dr. Pratt, Dr. Ray, or Dr. Carter.) Question: What hospital actually has that many good looking, single doctors. None that I've seen. So many good shows...means more knitting time! This has been a good tv/knitting week.

Flowers and Football

Just a quick post...

These are the flowers that my Flowerswap partner made for me...aren't they pretty?! I can't wait to wear them! The biggest flower is going to look perfect on my orange tweed coat.

Here's how I spent the Superbowl:

Awwww!!! Yes, it's the cutest niece ever...and yes, that's the beginnings of a buttonhole bag. More on that later.

Tuesday is Knitalong Day!

Fry-up:
I have had so much fun with the fry-up knitters this week! Not to mention all the comments that I get from people wondering, "umm, why are you knitting fried eggs?" I actually had one girl at my small group study last night ask me if I would actually carry it...of course I would!! Hello! It's a purse with breakfast on it, it doesn't get much better than this!

Ali has practically finished her fry-up! It's lookin' good...and she even came up with a pattern for 'tomato ketchup' since it was omitted from the 'full English' she's making. I love it!

Ann has been knitting away, finishing an egg and the two sides of the plate/purse when...she ummm...felt like the egg was looking a little, well...booby-like. So, she is in the re-knitting phase today, go check out her luscious fiesta plate. (it looks alot like the persimmon color that my parents have!) And check out the new ring that she belongs too...oh man, I want to join...does driving a New Beetle count. It's kinda mini-esque. Ever since I saw The Italian Job I have wanted one of those cars!!

Mozemen has found her muse, the perfect plate to serve up her fry-up.

Kim figured out her plate troubles...and she's ready to get cookin'. (everyone needs to let me know when I've taken the food-related commentary and silly sayings too far;-)

One is the lonliest number...

So my egg looks a little funny to me, but I think you should make the call. Ann, does mine look too much like a booby too?! Tell me how you really feel! I'm thinking about re-knitting this in the round anyway, because my seaming looks like crap. Whenever possible, I knit with circulars or dpn's just to avoid the dreaded seaming! Sometimes, it can't be avoided though.

I decided to use wooden needles, so I pulled out my 14", #8 Brittany Birch needles and had an enjoyable time knitting with acrylic yarn...what? enjoying acrylic?! Yep, I admit it...I had fun knitting up that fried egg, and it went suprisingly fast. I had started with metal needles (which I usually prefer) but the yarn "stuck" to the needle too much and was much to squeeky for my taste. My plan right now is to cast on for the plate at the Littleton Meetup tonight.

**Check out this article!**

In Sockapalooza news...the survey I posted was a HUGE success! Way beyond any kind of response that I thought I'd get...136 people took my survey, wow! Here are the final numbers:

36%- (49 people) Koigu
25.7%- (35) Bonkers
22.1%- (30) Interlacements
8.8%- (12) Regia
7.4%- (10) Opal

So...Koigu it is! Man, this yarn seems to win out every time. I love the stuff, but why is it so special? I have neer heard anyone say that they don't like it. It seems like it's becoming the ultimate in yarn...oh it's koigu..ooohh, ahhhh. This is the kind of response Koigu gets. So, if I make these socks, does that mean that I get to "replace" the yarn in my stash? I can't let my Koigu stash get too low! Here's a shot of the winning yarn! Which will hopefully be turned into a sock very soon!

That's all I've got in Knitalong news...thanks again for helping me figure out what yarn to use!!!

Calling all Sockapalooza People!

So...I have had trouble deciding what kind of yarn to use for my sockapalooza socks and I need to make a decision ASAP since they need to be done on March 15! So help me out ladies and gentlemen!!! I have dug into my personal sock yarn stash (have I told you how addictive sock yarn is to buy, umm yeah, it is!) because luckily I am knitting for someone with the same taste as me. Nice, thanks Alison, I love happy accidents like that. So here are some closeup pictures of the 5 choices, and then you can vote at the bottom. Interlacements, Koigu, Regia, Bonkers, and Opal. I want to thank you for coming out to the polls today, and showing me your support! The polls will be closing at noon on Saturday, because...well...I need to get these puppies started!

*comments are, as always, optional but I'd love to hear who voted for what!!*

Final Wave

Do you ever have one of those projects that seems to take you forever to knit, and then when you read other blogs and hear them talk about it...it's like it was the easiest project for everyone except you! That's what Wavy has been for me. It seems like I just couldn't make much progress on it in one sitting. The pattern was just different enough that I couldn't memorize it, no matter how I tried. But it's done now and I am very pleased about how it turned out! Hopefully the gal I knitted it for likes it! Here are the stats:

Yarn: Cascade Quatro- 2 skeins
Needles: (my favorite metal straight needle by INOX) size 7
Pattern: Wavy from the Winter issue of Knittty
Designer: Sarah Smith

I'm trying to decide if I would ever attempt to knit one for myself? I'm thinking it's a maybe...I did like working with the Quatro yarn, and I hear that they have a pink shade that seems right up my alley. What do you think, does this work for me or what?!

I've been tagged!

My neighbor, Lynne tagged me, so I'm going to play nice and answer the following questions!

1.) Total amount of music files on your computer:

Well, before a slight goof yesterday, I had just over 400 songs, just a fraction of the total amount of music I own...but then I made a minor error that involved syncing my iPod with iTunes and apparently my settings were goofed. (I know that everyone is very interested in this story;-) The end result was that when I was finished, I had 87 songs on my iPod instead of the 400 I had already put on it. Dang! So now, after madly trying to rip more music onto my computer last night (instead of knitting, I might add) I have 167 songs, 11 hours of music, 753.2 MB. (my brother-in-law has 1977 songs, 5.5 days of music, and 8.2 GB...he's crazy!)

2.) The last CD you bought was: I purchased the Garden State soundtrack yesterday...love that CD, love that movie!

3.) What is the song you last listened to before reading this message?

•Give Judy My Notice by Ben Folds
•Sunshower by Chris Cornell...I'm a huge fan, I love the sound of his voice. It's so distinctive and beautiful. This song is from Great Expectations: The Album. It's a great movie soundtrack. I also own Great Expectations: The Score which is in my top 20 all time favorite movie soundtracks. (I'm a big movie soundtrack fan!)

4.)  What are your five favorite songs and why they mean the most to you (now here comes the good stuff!)

1-"Kiss Off", by Violent Femmes---I chose this because it reminds me of high school and road trips!

2-"MIA", by Foo Fighters "There is Nothing Left to Lose"---Dave Grohl kicks ass! I love this band...they put on one of the greatest shows I have ever seen. This is a talented group of guys, led by Dave Grohl.

3-"Jesse's Girl", by Rick Springfield---This was really hard because I love 80's music...Toto is great, I loved 9 to 5, and so many others but this is one of my favorites, and one with a lot of jr. high memories!

4-"Tribute", by Tenacious D---this whole album is hilarious! Jack Black is a comic genius!

5- Ben Lee, I can't pick just one song...I listened to him at a certain time of my life and he's now tied to all those memories. So I listen and remember.

So this was really hard to do because I have such a wide range of music tastes...from The Police to Weezer, from George Winston to THe White Stripes, from U2 to Frank Sinatra and Miles Davis...I love them all. Music is essential to me.

5). What 3 people are you going to pass this baton to and why?

Larissa because she's an artist and she rocks the office supplies, Amy because I think if we lived in the same town we'd go to antique/flea markets together and it is good to be girl!, and last but not least I'm sending this silly thing to Shelby because I think that she has the same sense of humor as me!! There you have it, I participated in my first "meme" although I still have no clue why they call it that! If someone wants to enlighten me, feel free!

Anybody hungry?

"Tuesdays are for Knitalongs"

Fry-Up:
The time has arrived everybody...it's the official kick-off of the Fry-Up! And just for the occasion I busted out my earring collecton circa 1988. I had a collection of food earrings and these were by far my favorites.

Yes, I used to wear fried eggs on my ears on a regular basis! (I also had pickles, popcorn, and fish to name a few.) What can I say, I like food and I like earrings...put them together and you have yummy accessories!

I pulled my yarn out this morning...I can't wait to get home from work so that I can cast on. If you noticed a hot pink skein thrown in the mix, it's because
1.) I love pink
2.) I may knit the bag in pink instead of light yellow, although I do like how retro the light yellow is!
3.) Every project needs a little bit of pink!
(somebody here at my office actually just asked if yarn stays better if you keep it in the fridge...ha! Silly non-bloggers, don't they know we are always on a quest for a better and more creative photo than the next knitter;-)

Updates:

Libby is the only person I know, or I've found that has actually knit a fry up. Check out her finished bag if you need some inspiration. Lori has a jump on all of us...check out her Jan.7th post. She's already fried up a piece of bacon and an egg, sunny side up of course! Niki got her yarn just in time to start...and I'm thinking it looks alot like Highland Peruvian yarn...hmmm. Megan has made up a "map" of the fry-up in case you are a little confused about what some of the items are. Thanks Megan! Ann received the yarn for her birthday and took a great picture of it! Mozemen has 1 egg finished and is thinking of adding some burnt spots and/or spices to make it look more realistic. Kim already found out some tips for us all, and she has some great ideas about changing up the purse base. Go check it out! Here's the tips she got from Libby:

- Knitting the purse/plate/hat as a flat circle on dpns/circulars instead of a back-and-forth tortured octagon.
- Do some nice thick i-cording for the strap instead of the two-strand twisted deal in the pattern.
- Line your bag with fabric for added stability.
- And of course you can make only the breakfast items that are appropriate to your cultural background.

Just in the little bit that people have knit, I can tell that this is going to be a fun group! Everyone is so creative! This is going to be an on-going knitalong, so be sure to let me know if you want to join or if you have an update. The plan is to give updates every Tuesday!
*this could be bad...the whole time I've been writing this, all I can think of is, "mmm...pancakes sound so good right now." I'm in trouble if I get hungry every time I knit on this! But I do think that I'll make breakfast for dinner, just for fun!